AP power minister holds virtual meet with ministers of 5 states
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Vijayawada: Minister for power Gottipati Ravi Kumar chaired a high-level virtual meeting with the power ministers of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat on Thursday. The meeting, held at the Secretariat, focused on addressing financial challenges faced by power distribution companies (discoms) and implementing strategies to restore them to profitability.
Following the directives of the Union ministry of energy, the ministers engaged in detailed discussions on reducing financial losses, improving revenue collection, and minimising additional expenses. A collective decision was made to recover outstanding dues from various government departments and optimise cost efficiency within the discosms.
To further strengthen the financial stability of discoms, the ministers agreed to promote central government schemes such as PM Suryagarh and PM Kusum, which aim to enhance renewable energy adoption and reduce operational costs. The importance of maximising Central government subsidies to support power sector reforms was also emphasised.
During the meeting, minister Ravi Kumar urged the central government to increase battery storage capacity from 1,000 mw to 2,000 mw, which would help enhance grid stability and improve renewable energy utilisation. He also appealed for an increase in grants for the Green Energy Corridor, enabling Andhra Pradesh to effectively integrate and distribute renewable power across the state.
Senior officials, including APGenco MD K V N Chakradhar Babu, APTransco JMD Keerthy Chekuri, CPDCL CMD Bhaskar and other key stakeholders participated in the discussions.